Yukinoshita Yukino tried to shake free of his grip, but she couldn't break away. Once her arm was held down, her strength was useless. She took a deep breath to calm herself and attempted to reason with Natsukawa Kanade.
"I can handle this myself. I don't need you to support me."
Kanade turned his head to look at her.
"Really?"
"Really," Yukino nodded firmly, exuding confidence.
"But I don't believe you," Kanade said with a shrug, then ignored her entirely.
Yukino blinked, staring at him with a somewhat dazed expression.
This guy… How could he be so shameless?!
She had every reason to suspect that he wasn't trying to help at all. He was just taking advantage of her, relishing her discomfort and frustration. The thought made her blood boil.
No matter what she said, Kanade wouldn't let go. After struggling for what felt like forever, Yukino finally realized her only option was to accept her fate. Her annoyance grew, and she huffed in silence, refusing to respond to his chatter for the rest of the way.
What a vile jerk, always finding ways to get under her skin…
As she stewed in her thoughts, the warmth of his hand suddenly disappeared.
Instinctively, she turned her head to look at him and found that Kanade had stepped back several paces. Though his expression remained neutral, his actions betrayed a hint of wariness—was he worried she might lash out at him in retaliation?
"…"
"We're here," Kanade said, pointing to the nurse's office door. Noticing her glare, he added, "Hey, don't look at me like I'm some kind of criminal. I was just trying to help, and I didn't do anything else."
"…" Yukino remained silent.
Didn't do anything? It's already done! Don't think I don't see through you!
As Yukino continued to glare at him, visibly suppressing her irritation, Kanade shrank back slightly. Bracing himself, he knocked on the door, nerves slightly on edge at the thought of her possibly exploding any moment.
"Anyone here?"
"Come in."
A languid, sleepy voice answered from the other side.
"Let's go in," Kanade said, turning to Yukino. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Yukino pressed her lips together and followed him, walking in slowly.
Inside, a nurse in a white coat was on duty. Resting her chin on her hand, she looked lazily at the pair entering the room. Her expression changed slightly as recognition dawned.
"Well, if it isn't you two!" she said in a tone that suggested familiarity.
Kanade raised an eyebrow, taking a moment to recall where he had seen her before. Then it clicked—the night of the courage test, when he'd brought Yukino back to the dorms, this was the nurse who had escorted her inside.
"Hello, Sensei," Kanade greeted politely. "Thank you for your help last time."
"Oh, it was nothing, really," the nurse said, waving it off. Her gaze then shifted to Yukino, who stood behind Kanade. Curiosity filled her eyes. "So, what brings you to the nurse's office today?"
"I—" Yukino began, only for Kanade to cut in before she could finish.
"Her foot injury hasn't fully healed, so I brought her in for a checkup," Kanade explained. The nurse's office was well-stocked with medical supplies, and he hoped they could make use of them here.
"Oh, I see…" The nurse nodded, her eyes glinting mischievously. Suddenly, she got up with great enthusiasm, bypassing Kanade to guide Yukino to the bed at the back of the room.
After helping Yukino sit down, the nurse stood up again, rummaged through a cabinet, and pulled out a small medical kit. She handed it to Kanade.
Kanade took the kit, assuming she wanted him to hold it for her. But then she said something completely unexpected.
"You can handle this, right? I remember your first aid skills were quite good last time. This should be no problem for you."
"…" Kanade was caught off guard but instinctively nodded.
"Great! I'll leave her to you, then. I have something else to take care of, so I'm clocking out," the nurse declared cheerfully. Without waiting for a reply, she quickly removed her white coat, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door.
Just as she reached it, she turned back to face them.
Kanade thought she might reconsider and stay, realizing how irresponsible she was being. Instead, her next words were even more outrageous.
"Oh, right! The key is with you now, Student Council President. Lock up when you're done with… whatever you need to do. And make sure to bring the key back early tomorrow so I can pick it up. See ya!"
"…"
Kanade's jaw dropped, but before he could say anything, the nurse was already gone. There wasn't even time to clarify that Yukino wasn't his girlfriend, let alone to ask what on earth she meant by "whatever you need to do" in such a suggestive tone.
Turning around, he saw Yukino glaring at him from the bed. Her icy gaze seemed to convey one clear message: "Who is your girlfriend? I'd rather you just drop dead."
Come on! This misunderstanding isn't entirely my fault! You're involved in this too!
"Ahem… Let's just check your injury first," Kanade said, trying to sound serious.
"I don't need your help," Yukino replied coldly. "I can handle it myself. Just hand me the kit."
"Nope. I need to see it for myself," Kanade countered. Otherwise, what was the point of him bringing her here?
Yukino stared at him, then suddenly crossed her arms protectively over her chest, as if to guard herself.
"Wait, no! Don't misunderstand! This isn't anything perverted!" Kanade quickly explained, flustered. "I'm just worried about you, okay? I can't be sure unless I see for myself!"
"…"
Yukino's expression softened slightly, though her wariness didn't entirely fade.
"Seriously, do you have to be this defensive around me?" Kanade muttered, feeling somewhat wounded. "I'm trying to help here! What kind of image do you have of me, anyway?"
"A pervert," Yukino answered decisively.
"I'm telling you, I'm not a pervert!" Kanade protested, his neck craning forward in exasperation.
"A scumbag."
"…"
That's even worse than being called a pervert! At least with the first, it's just my preferences getting judged!
"Forget it. I don't have the energy to argue with you," Kanade sighed.
Seeing Kanade's defeated expression, Yukino thought he was about to give up. Instead, he walked a few steps away, grabbed a chair, and set it directly in front of her before sitting down.
"What are you doing?" Yukino couldn't help but ask.
"Checking your injury. What else?" Kanade replied matter-of-factly. He couldn't just stand the entire time—it would be exhausting.
"I already told you I don't need your help—"
"And I told you, I'm worried about you," Kanade shrugged, his tone casual. Who couldn't turn a phrase when needed?
"…" Yukino turned her face slightly away, unable to respond to his retort.
Say whatever pretty words you want. As long as she stayed still and didn't react…
She assumed her lack of response would get her message across. But to her shock, she suddenly felt an unusual sensation on her calf.
Startled, she turned her head, only to see Kanade's "sinful" hands wandering over her leg.
"What are you doing?!" Yukino cried out, reflexively kicking his chest lightly.
The realization of what she had done struck her almost immediately. She instinctively curled up, retreating further onto the bed.
"Perv! Scumbag! Disgusting foot freak!" Yukino fumed. Normally, she would have delivered her insults with more finesse, but today she was too flustered to hold back.
Kanade looked genuinely aggrieved and quickly tried to explain himself. "You've misunderstood!"
"…" Yukino said nothing, glaring daggers at him as if to dare him to justify his actions.
"I'm not a foot freak!" Kanade declared with utmost seriousness, as though this were a matter of life and death. Honestly, he found other things—like, say, breasts—much more captivating. That was just a core truth of manhood, encoded in DNA!
"Hmph," Yukino snorted coldly, shooting him a glare that said, You should just die already.
Kanade pouted and mumbled, "Well, you weren't moving or saying anything, so I thought you wanted me to help you take it off…"
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have made such an assumption. But after what happened at lunch—when Kaguya had asked for his help directly—he thought maybe Yukino was just too shy to voice her request.
"…" Yukino was speechless.
What kind of person interprets things like that? Wasn't her lack of movement clearly meant to say, Don't touch me?
Still, she could tell that Kanade wouldn't let it go until he saw her injury with his own eyes. That much was clear, given the absurdity of what he'd just done.
She let out a sigh, followed by a deep breath to steel herself. "Turn around," she said at last.
"Huh?" Kanade looked puzzled.
"I need to take off my socks. Turn around!" Yukino glared at him fiercely.
"…"
Finally understanding, Kanade clicked his tongue but turned his back to her, muttering under his breath about how unnecessary her anger was.
As he sat there in silence, the rustling sound of Yukino removing her socks became oddly amplified, tickling his ears and making him feel strangely restless.
He knew she was just taking off her socks—something he'd seen and even helped other girls, including Yukino, do before. Still, the unseen sounds sparked his imagination, and for a fleeting moment, his mind wandered to scenes of her removing something more… intimate.
"…"
"It's done," Yukino's cool, clear voice came from behind him, pulling him out of his reverie. Kanade turned around immediately.
Blinking, he noticed something odd.
"Where are the socks?" Kanade asked curiously.
Yukino's icy glare could have frozen him solid. "Hah, as expected of a pervert."
"Ahem… I was just curious, that's all…" Kanade coughed awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed. He really didn't mean anything by it—he was just genuinely curious!
But there was no convincing Yukino otherwise. She would undoubtedly continue to insult him if he tried, so he quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, let's get started with the examination."
Kanade repositioned himself on the chair, turning slightly to face Yukino. He lifted her leg gently and rested it on his lap.
This time, Yukino didn't resist. She maintained an indifferent, detached expression, as if none of it concerned her.
Kanade didn't notice her expression, though. His full attention was on the injury.
He carefully examined her ankle, noting the redness and comparing it to the surrounding skin tone. To his relief, the injury seemed to have improved significantly since it first occurred.
"It's much better than I expected," Kanade remarked with a nod. He had assumed that Yukino's stubbornness would have worsened the injury, but it had actually healed quite a bit.
"I've been applying the medication regularly," Yukino murmured. The spray he had "confiscated" still sat prominently on her desk at home.
"Honestly, I'm surprised," Kanade admitted, turning to look at her. "I figured you'd completely ignore the injury and just let it run its course."
"…"
Do I look like that kind of careless person? Yukino thought, her irritation flaring. This guy always had a knack for making her angry in just three sentences—what was his problem?
"But even so, it's still not ideal. You'd recover faster if you took better care of it, and it'd save others from worrying about you…" Kanade said thoughtfully. After a moment's pause, he looked back at Yukino and added seriously, "How about I massage it for you?"
"…?" Yukino blinked, thinking she must have misheard. "M-Massage?"
"Yeah, I can help—" Kanade began to explain, but before he could finish, Yukino cut him off with a sharp and familiar string of insults.
"Perv! Scumbag! Disgusting foot freak!"
Kanade: "…"
Enough already! How many times do I have to say it—I'm not a foot freak!
"You're misunderstanding again!" Kanade said, trying to keep his cool.
"I'm serious. Massaging helps reduce swelling—whether it's fluid retention or bruising. Right after the injury, it wouldn't have been safe, but since we've already used the blood-circulation spray, massaging now can actually speed up the healing process." Kanade explained earnestly, drawing on his past experience.
Back when he first started exercising, he often dealt with physical strain and injuries, which had led him to pick up a lot of medical knowledge. He was genuinely trying to help!
So please, stop misunderstanding—he really wasn't a foot freak!
Notes-Read all chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X